Exemplary embodiments generally relate to data processing and to virtual agents and, more particularly, to electronic shopping, research and to customization of operator interfaces.
Computer-generated agents, or “virtual” agents, are widely used to help computer users. Such agents are familiar to computer users, a common example being the paper clip office assistant found in Microsoft's WINDOWS XP® operating system. Currently, virtual agents provide a rudimentary user interface that may vocalize a menu selection using prerecorded sound bites or provide pre-recorded instruction. In the case of Microsoft's paperclip help assistant, the paperclip merely presents an entertaining animation providing a bit of panache to what is a mundane search engine. Virtual agents can be improved.